I've been in stuck in the mire when it comes to posting here/updating ANYWHERE. Not sure why. I am Artax and the internet is the Swamp of Sadness.*

Bah.

There is good stuff, though! When I left for work this morning, the area between the tool shed and the wood pile was a mass of tumbled rock and concrete overgrown with thorns. When I came home at noon, it had been transformed:

Our landscaping/tree guy (We have one of those now! He's awesomely bearded and professes to love 'playing in the dirt') decided to fuss about with what was at hand.** There's a raised bed ready for planting. Sadly, I'm a terrible gardener. I'll be soliciting advice as to what/how to plant. In case you want to start mulling: it's well drained, rich soil. Mostly shade. Fussy plants need not apply.

*In case you were wondering, that scene still makes me weepy. It also makes me wince at how hard Atreyu's pulling on the bit. ouch!

**this was above and beyond what he'd billed us for; he saw an opportunity and couldn't bear to let it pass.

Some shade loving perrenials or shrubs would be great as a backdrop, I like things that have interesting foliage, hostas are great in the shade (& low maintenence too) and you can get the all green, white and green or yellow & green, all of which look great when the plant isn't in bloom. For flower color I totally recommen impatients! They are great in the shade, very hardy and bloom all summer long until the frost kills them! plus they come in a variety of colors!

Have fun!! I love the way the "raw" garden looks, so anything you put into it will just add to it!